:: Naples ::
Forever associated with nearby Mount Vesuvius, the ancient Greeks built Neapolis - their "new city"
- some time around 700BC to take advantage of its sheltered position in the curve of the Bay.
Later taken over by the Romans, and eventually a centre of first the Kingdon of the Two Sicilies,
and then the Kingdom of Naples, the city was quick to endorse the new Italian Republic with a
popular vote that's commemorated in the name of 'Piazza del Plebiscito'
Photos from over the years we've known the city... some were 35mm slides, some not!
Click on them individually to see larger versions, and a few explanatory notes
:: Central Napoli ::
Over to Naples, to see the Chiesa di San Domenico Maggiore, the gorgeous Cappella Sansevero
and its wonderful collection of statuary - and whatever else we stumbled upon....
On the way up from the harbour, Castel Nuovo - and a sight of Roman warehouses and
port buildings, unearthed during construction of the new Piazza Municipio metro station.
From there, on the R2 bus to Piazza Garibaldi, and a first stop on Via Annunziata, where
the 'Sacra Ruota degli Esposti' - the Holy Wheel of the Neglected (or 'Put Out') - is
set in the wall of a former C14th convent, attached to the Basilica dell'Annunziata.
See....http://www.incampania.com/en/beniculturali.cfm?s=5&Menu_ID=205&Sub_ID=208&Info_ID=4188
And then we just wandered...
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For larger versions, click on a photo, and then use "Previous" and "Next" to move around..
Pressing F11 may help with seeing the various explanatory notes and captions!
:: Sunday in Mergellina ::
Over to the mainland, to enjoy the pleasures of a Sunday on the Chiaia seafront.
On AliLauro's catamaran - Acapulco Jet - it's just 30 minutes from Ischia Porto to
Mergellina, the city's 'other' hydrofoil port... a mile west of the main Molo Beverello.
From there, a walk through the gardens of the public park, the Villa Comunale, for the
Farmers' Market (NOTE: before going, do check if it's still held there - or perhaps now
in Piazza Dante, in the centre of town) and the historic Aquarium, before moving along
to Chiaia, for the Castel dell'Ovo, and lunch in the Borgo Marinari.
On the way back, after stopping in at Procida, sight of a distant waterspout, crossing
the route we'd just taken.
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Click on the individual pictures to see larger versions (try pressing the F11
key for fullscreen mode), or else on the "slideshow" button at the top right
of this screen to watch them that way.
:: Ho Ho to Posillipo ::
A morning tour on one of the CitySightseeing opentop buses -
out along the Naples coastline, past Chiaia, Mergellina and
Marechiaro, to Posillipo.... and back again.
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Lazily, we took their shuttle from the port up to their base
near Castel Nuovo, although it's only a short walk - with great
views down into the archaeological dig!
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For details of the various routes, prices etc, see...
..http://www.napoli.city-sightseeing.it/eng/index.htm
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And, for larger versions of the pictures, click on the
individual images and select "Original" from the list
of sizes below for the best quality version
: press the F11 key for fullscreen mode.
Otherwise, try the "Slideshow" facility!
.
:: National Archaeology Museum, Naples ::
A few pictures taken during special touring exhibitions, and others of items from the
Museum's own quite incredible collection of relics, artefacts and artworks - gathered
not just at Pompeii and Herculaneum, but from sites all over the Campania Regione....
After almost 450 years the building is creaking, often there aren't the staff to open
all the exhibition rooms, but it's unmissable - and, unusually for such places in Italy,
closed on Tuesdays.... so take note!!!
For more details, see their rather so-so website, here
___http://museoarcheologiconazionale.campaniabeniculturali.it/?set_language=en
The best part is this 'collection by collection' guide to what they've got...
___http://museoarcheologiconazionale.campaniabeniculturali.it/thematic-paths/in-museum
On this page, click on individual images for a large version, then use "next" etc
- or skim through them using the slide-show button at top right of this screen.
:: National Railway Museum - Pietrarsa ::
Italy's very first railway line ran along the coast, past Vesuvius - from the
royal villa in Portici to the capital of the Kingdom of the two Sicilies.
Today the Pietrarsa railway museum is housed where Ferdinand II built his
trains, on the seafront only a mile or two from the centre of Naples.
:: Many churches, a few temples... ::
Ancient and modern - Christian and pagan - Naples and Campania
